Articles in Solar Physics from astro-ph.SR

Day: 8 May 2018

Astrophysics faces two 80-year-old mysteries: the nature of dark matter, and the high temperature of the million degree solar corona, radiating an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) excess of $10^{27}$ erg/s. The current paradigm is that the corona is heated by hypothetical nano-flares of unknown origin. Recently, in ref. (Zhitnitsky 2017) it was suggested that the nanoflares can be identified with the nuggets from the Axion Quark Nugget (AQN) dark matter model. This model was invented as an explanation of the observed ratio $\Omega_{\rm dark} \sim \Omega_{\rm visible}$, and has no free parameter other than the Axion mass. It is proposed that the AQN particles moving through the coronal plasma (and annihilating) can both explain the EUV excess and drastic changes of the temperature in the Transition Region. To test this proposal, we performed detailed numerical simulations with a realistic AQN particle distribution and physical environment. Remarkably, our calculations predict the correct energy budget for the solar corona, and an energy injection altitude in agreement with the temperature and mass density profile of the solar atmosphere. Therefore, we propose that the two 80-year-old mysteries could be two sides of the same coin. We make several predictions based on this proposal that can be tested by the upcoming NASA mission the Parker Solar Probe.

Using the HMI/SDO vector magnetic field observations, we studied the relation of degree of magnetic non-potentiality with the observed flare/CME in active regions. From a sample of 77 flare/CME cases, we found a general relation that degree of non-potentiality is positively correlated with the flare strength and the associated CME speeds. Since the magnetic flux in the flare-ribbon area is more related to the reconnection, we trace the strong gradient polarity inversion line (SGPIL), Schrijver’s R value manually along the flare-ribbon extent. Manually detected SGPIL length and R values show higher correlation with the flare strength and CME speed than the automatically traced values without flare-ribbon information. It highlights the difficulty of predicting the flare strength and CME speed a priori from the pre-flare magnetograms used in flare prediction models. Although the total, potential magnetic energy proxies show weak positive correlation, the decrease in free energy exhibits higher correlation (0.56) with the flare strength and CME speed. Moreover, the eruptive flares have threshold of SGPIL length (31Mm), R value ($1.6\times10^{19}$Mx), free-energy decrease ($2\times10^{31}$erg) compared to confined ones. In 90\% eruptive flares, the decay-index curve is steeper reaching $n_{crit}=1.5$ within 42Mm, whereas it is beyond 42Mm in $>70$% confined flares. While indicating the improved statistics in the predictive capability of the AR eruptive behavior with the flare-ribbon information, our study provides threshold magnetic properties for a flare to be eruptive.

Aims. We perform a detailed observational analysis of network jets to understand their kinematics, rotational motion and underlying triggering mechanism(s). We have analyzed the quiet-Sun (QS) data. Methods. IRIS high resolution imaging and spectral observations (SJI: Si iv 1400.0 \AA, Raster: Si iv 1393.75 \AA) are used to analyze the omnipresent rotating network jets in the transition-region (TR). In addition, we have also used Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard Solar Dynamic Observation (SDO) observations. Results. The statistical analysis of fifty-one network jets is performed to understand various their mean properties, e.g., apparent speed (140.16+/-39.41 km/s), length (3.16+/-1.18 Mm), lifetimes (105.49+/-51.75 s). The Si iv 1393.75 \AA line has secondary component along with its main Gaussian, which is formed due to the high-speed plasma flows (i.e., network jets). The variation of Doppler velocity across these jets (i.e., blue shift on one edge and red shift on the other) signify the presence of inherited rotational motion. The statistical analysis predicts that the mean rotational velocity (i.e., \delV) is 49.56 km/s. The network jets have high angular velocity in comparison to the other class of solar jets. Conclusions. The signature of network jets are inherited in TR spectral lines in terms of the secondary component of the Si iv 1393.75 \AA line. The rotational motion of network jets is omnipresent, which is reported firstly for this class of jet-like features. The magnetic reconnection seems to be the most favorable mechanism for the formation of these network jets.

The first 48-antenna stage of the Siberian Radioheliograph (SRH) started single-frequency test observations early in 2016, and since August 2016 it routinely observes the Sun at several frequencies in the 4-8 GHz range with an angular resolution of 1-2 arc minutes and an imaging interval of about 12 seconds. With limited opportunities of the incomplete antenna configuration, a high sensitivity of about 100 Jy allows the SRH to contribute to the studies of eruptive phenomena along three lines. First, some eruptions are directly visible in SRH images. Second, some small eruptions are detectable even without a detailed imaging information from microwave depressions caused by screening the background emission by cool erupted plasma. Third, SRH observations reveal new aspects of some events to be studied with different instruments. We focus on an eruptive C2.2 flare on 16 March 2016 around 06:40, one of the first flares observed by the SRH. Proceeding from SRH observations, we analyze this event using extreme-ultraviolet, hard X-ray, white-light, and metric radio data. An eruptive prominence expanded, brightened, and twisted, which indicates a time-extended process of the flux-rope formation together with the development of a large coronal mass ejection (CME). The observations rule out a passive role of the prominence in the CME formation. The abrupt prominence eruption impulsively excited a blast-wave-like shock, which appeared during the microwave burst and was manifested in an "EUV wave" and Type II radio burst. The shock wave decayed and did not transform into a bow shock because of the low speed of the CME. Nevertheless, this event produced a clear proton enhancement near Earth. Comparison with our previous studies of several events confirms that the impulsive-piston shock-excitation scenario is typical of various events.